Fatal Shooting at LAX Airport Leads to Arrest

Chaos erupted at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) on Friday morning as a gunman entered Terminal 3, bent on attacking Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers. According to a note found on the suspect, Paul Anthony Ciancia decided to kill TSA employees to "instill fear into their traitorous minds," David Bowdich, the special agent in charge of the FBI's Counterterrorism Division, reported. Now in custody, Ciancia is awaiting trial for his violent crime.

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Officials did have a heads-up about this potential danger, yet they received it too late. Early Friday morning, Ciancia had sent text messages to his family in Pennsville, NJ, that concerned his father so much that he contacted his local police chief, who in turn alerted the Los Angeles police. But by the time officials arrived at Ciancia's apartment, he had already left for the airport, driven by a roommate who had no suspicions about Ciancia's plans.

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By 9:20 A.M. PST, the gunman walked up to a TSA checkpoint in Terminal 3 and repeatedly shot TSA officer Gerardo Hernandez, killing him and making him the first TSA officer slain in the line of duty in the agency's 12-year history. Ciancia wounded two other TSA employees and one traveler before airport security shot him four times and arrested him. Throughout the pandemonium, airline passengers remained on lockdown.

Ciancia informed police that he had acted alone, yet officers are unsure what motivated the 23-year-old's hatred of the TSA. He remains in critical condition and is facing charges of murder and committing violence at an international airport.

We send our deepest condolences to the family of Gerardo Hernandez, and we wish a speedy recovery to those who were wounded. Please share your well wishes in the comments below.